Iriako Stormrock
=Background= Iriako was born into a new partnership of two orcs who followed the Twilight's Hammer with undying loyalty. Unlike many orc children born into the demonically-influenced Horde, he was spared from having his growth speed increased. The reason for that is currently unknown. Iriako's life up until shortly after he reached adulthood was filled with mostly disappointment and ridicule due to his birthclan. However, after the Orcish Horde was freed from the internment camps, he managed to break through all setbacks and shined as a natural leader--eventually leading an entire Clan of his own. His deep spirituality, coupled with his natural leadership ability and innate curiousity about the world, has led to him developing a large amount of knowledge for an orc. This fostered much respect from those he interacted with along the path of his life, and garnished him many followers. His time as a leader saw many ups and downs, causing the young orc to face personal challenges that he feels no one should ever endure--up to and including the loss of his wife and daughter. Facing self doubt, he eventually dissolved the spiritual group he led to glory, in hopes that the lessons he taught would better serve the Horde from within. Constant inner turmoil is his enemy. His spirituality and wisdom is his weapon against it, and it causes him to alternate between the persona of an articulate leader and simple follower in his path through life, as explained in his life story, given below. The Defection of Gul'dan Iriako was only six months old when the Twilight's Hammer Clan defected from the Horde with Gul'dan's Stormreaver Clan during the Second War. His family was wiped out by Doomhammer's forces when they tracked down the traitors. Many young orcs of the Stormreaver and Twilight's Hammer Clans were taken as innocents by the Horde, so Iriako was spared death and instead put in the care of a foster matron. Before the innocents were to be returned to Draenor, the Horde lost to the Alliance at the battle of Blackrock Spire, and so Iriako ended up at the internment camp in the Arathi Highlands. Arathi Internment Camp Iriako survived 18 years of life in the Arathi Internment camp with the other orc prisoners. As he grew up, he learned much of his birthclan from elders also imprisoned in the camp, so he knew just where he came from. When the lethargy of the orcs set in, many of these elders began to speak of the old ways, before warlocks and demon magic. This appealed to him, and in his influencial youth, he began to develop a slight distrust for warlocks as most of the Horde possesses today. It was in the camp that he met his future wife, Alisanoka. She was also a child orc spared as an innocent from the Stormreaver Clan. The two grew close, first as simple friends in their younger years, but eventually sparking a romantic partnership as they aged. To them, their impromptu union was a shining light in their horridly dark and grim conditions. Having paired up, the two of them did occasionally recieve much critism and mistrust based on their birthclans, occassionally leading to fights. Yet through the confrontations, they resisted depression the best they could. Iriako pushed the criticism off much better than Alisanoka, who showed more desire to save her pride and prove she was in control of her morals. The two survived the internment camp long enough to be rescued by Thrall and Doomhammer. Iriako and Alisanoka both fled with the Horde and they both entered into service immediately. Combat Training While the Horde was deciding what to do next, Iriako served them as a hunter, retrieving food with various hunting parties. His skill with a bow were remarkable, and he took to the skill with great ease. Soon, he was not just hunting for food, but was also putting his skills to use in battle and eventually leading training sessions over both new recruits and veterans seeking practice. When Iriako became interested in skinning beasts and putting their hides to use, he quickly sought training from one of the artisans he worked closely with. Indeed, he proved skilled in this as well, and when not hunting or battling, he would constantly be crafting blankets, armor, cloaks, and would use leathers to bolster the effectiveness of the Horde's armory. When the Horde decided to make for the sea, Iriako and his partner, Alisanoka, followed obediantly. Settling in Kalimdor Iriako constantly wondered what would become of the Horde, and the ways they practiced before the demons came. Upon allying with the Darkspear Trolls and the Tauren, Iriako saw that their societies did not differ in basic principles. He thought more on the idea that these new allies could very well help the Horde reattune to the old ways, and firmly believed they were true and loyal allies. He began to test his meddle in shamanism, but never really picked up the actual practice until later in life, but his knowledge and respect for the elements stood strong. He began to develop a natural curiousity about the world, and took up reading and research as major hobbies in his downtime. His viewpoint was shared by his partner, Alisanoka, but the years of critism in the Arathi Internment Camp still burned within her, and she sought to prove to herself once and for all that she was, in fact, in control of her morals. Fueled by this, she decided to begin the practice of using fel energies to wreck destruction on the enemies of the Horde. This had a strong effect on Iriako. Seeing how his wife was not unloyal to the Horde and the old ways, this decision on her part made him rethink his views on warlocks, making him more lenient to them as individuals. This viewpoint held strong, and from then on, he never let one's practice define one as a person. The Horde did what it could to survive on Kalimdor, leading up to the end of the start of the Third War. Iriako and Alisanoka made their partnership official and got married not long after landing in Kalimdor. They held the ceremony in the Barrens, atop one of the many hills. Defending the New Home Iriako and Alisanoka participated in the Battle of Mount Hyjal, when Archimonde attempted to destroy the World Tree. This of course, was followed by the assault from the Alliance Navy when Draelin Proudmoore attemped to finish of the Horde--which only ended in his failure and death. Iriako and his wife survived all these battles, and soon after Proudmoore's death, the two orcs were sent to help train young ones in the Valley of Trials in southern Durotar. Content with their role for a few months, they quickly grew tired of their position, and sought to put their skills to better use for the good of Kalimdor and the faiths of it's Horde inhabitants. The Bloodhowl Legion The calling they were looking for came to them from Warlord Grakosh Bloodhowl, a ranking officer in the Horde who was charged with gathering a group of skilled individuals to serve in a special task unit, independent of the normal Horde military operations. This was known as the Bloodhowl Legion, meant to be a primary defensive unit on Kalimdor during the War in Outland. Extremely interested in helping, Iriako and Alisanoka quickly made for Orgrimmar, and sought out a recruiter for this cause. They were both accepted, and not long after did Grakosh recognize Iriako for his innate leadership capability. He moved up the ranks quickly, eventually being promoted to Centurion and acting as a second-in-command along with a former Warsong Orc named Gur'thok Ripmaw. Iriako and Gur'thok grew into a great friendship, both seeking to preserve Kalimdor with undying loyalty. Gur'thok mainly lead military strikes while Iriako was charged with recruiting new members. One of these new members was Jergo Skycaller, a Tauren woman who served the Bloodhowl Legion as a healer and medicine woman. Through several campaigns, the Bloodhowl Legion prospered with success. However, all did not continue so well. While the Legion had good intentions, it quickly dawned on Gur'thok that Grakosh was still under command from Thrall. This meant that violating the flimsy pact between Thrall and Jaina Proudmoore was outside their jurisdiction, which displeased Gur'thok. This further came to light when the Bloodhowl Legion was ordered to ignore an Alliance assault in The Barrens. It was at this point that Gur'thok began to question the capabilities of the Bloodhowl Legion. He soon realized that the same concerns were held by Iriako, as well as the above mentioned Tauren, Jergo. The three of them discussed what they believed should be done... and unanimously agreed to leave the Bloodhowl Legion behind and seek those more dedicated to the defense of Kalimdor. Several members of Bloodhowl, more loyal to Iriako and Gur'thok, followed soon after. Some, however, did not. Grakosh was stripped of his rank for being unable to contain his subordinates, and he vanished soon after. The remaining Bloodhowl members, loyal to Grakosh and displeased with the defectors, gathered to form the Ragemaul Warband. The Stormrock Clan Pressing on with their concerns, Iriako, Gur'thok, and Jergo came together to form the Stormrock Clan, named to commemorate the battle of Blackrock Spire. The three formed a Council to lead the Clan, with only the three of them at first. Iriako and Alisanoka took Stormrock as their surname, as they believed this was their purpose. For several days after the founding of the Stormrock Clan in Orgrimmar, verbally violent exchanges were seen between members of the Stormrock Clan and the Ragemaul Warband. Iriako himself was upset with their views on the new Clan, but soon grew weary of the dispute. He was only able to mediate with one member of the Warband, a Tauren woman known as Kishne. Soon after they discussed things in a nuetral sense, the fueds died down, and Iriako and the rest of the newly founded Stormrock Council made out to recruit members to their cause. Needless to say, Thrall was none to happy when he learned of the Stormrock Clan and their methods--much less that it was led by those who defected from his special legion. However, due to the budding Clan's blatant faith in the ways Thrall was trying to reattune the Orcs to, the Clan recieved no exile... but they dealtwith other biases. Thrall's supplymasters refused to share any supplies with the Clan, an action that Thrall did not halt nor punish. The Clan was left to fend for themselves, although they were still allowed to be part of the Horde. Iriako has helped the Clan grow greatly. Being in charge of all memberships and of their supplies, he quickly evaded a supply issue and managed to keep the Clan's members happy and fed. His wife, Alisanoka, became his Lieutenant, assisting him in whatever way is necessary. Gur'thok took up the role as the Clan's Military Councilor, and Jergo took up the role as the leading Shaman. Since the Clan began small, Jergo managed to form a pact with an air elemental named Freyla, which allowed her to attune small totems to Freyla's energies. With this elemental's assistance, these "Air Totems" as they were called would allow the Clan to communicate over long distances. This remains to be one of Jergo Skycaller's greatest creations. Iriako's interest in shamanism lead to him trying to understand the inner-workings of these items' creation, but it would not come to him for a couple years. The Clan soon recruited Reth'rok Hammertooth, an orc warlock with a strong sense of loyalty and knowledge of the world, into the Stormrock Council as the Clan's Loremaster/Historian. They also brought on an orc named Nomico Cromwell--an orc rogue that proved to be an effective Subterfuge master, and thus given the Councilor position over Scouting and Subterfuge operations. With the Council complete, the Clan had several months of success in their combat missions and spiritual goals, setting a strong example for the Horde as the War in Outland came to close. The Betrayal of Gur'thok Ripmaw After several months of the Clan developing into a workable force, Gur'thok Ripmaw, the Warlord of the Clan, began to show signs of distress. While Iriako and Jergo couldn't put their finger on why, the Clan continued it's normal day-to-day operation, thinking everything would eventually work itself out, and that Gur'thok was just down. This began to occur not long after the war on the Lich King began. However, this was not the case. Gur'thok was soon after witnessed speaking against the very values and homeland he had been working to protect. When Iriako witnessed this, he immediately severed Gur'thok's Air Totem (how Stormrock communicates over long distances) and placed a hit on his head for betraying the Clan. Soon after, Gur'thok was followed by Rethrok Hammertooth, whose Fel influence overtook him. Jergo Skycaller, the Clan's Head Shaman, went missing. The Clan seemed to go into a state of panic, until Iriako took hold, declaring a state of emergency in Stormrock. With the Council crumbled, Iriako declared himself the Chieftain of Stormrock, and began to figure out where his new enemies were operating. The rest of those loyal to the Clan recognized this claim to leadership without question. The War against Ridgetusk It didn't take Iriako long to wander upon Gur'thok again. After a training session in Ashenvale, Gur'thok approached and attacked Iriako. Several Stormrock members managed to save him in the nick of time, but Gur'thok escaped. Bearing the banner of a group calling themselves the Ridgetusk Warband, Gur'thok made it clear to Iriako that he was intent on returning the Horde to the days of the demons, all so the Horde could resume it's conquest across multiple worlds. Iriako immediately issued a Kill On Sight Order against Ridgetusk, beginning a violent dispute to keep Shamanism alive in the Horde. With Gur'thok gone from the Clan, Iriako recruited Kroto Stonecaller to replace him... however, Kroto was a troubled Orc. Having failed at becoming a shaman, and holding an almost iconic view of Ripmaw, Kroto slipped into the same condition as Gur'thok. At a Clan Gathering in Mulgore, Kroto openly spoke against the spirits, slipped his Air Totem into Iriako's pack, and left the circle. It wasn't until Iriako found the totem later that evening that he realized that he had lost another officer. Because of Kroto's defection, Iriako stepped up the Clan's combat readiness and sought to wipe Ridgetusk off the face of Azeroth--even if it meant killing his former friend and mentor, Gur'thok. The Death of Gur'thok Ripmaw Not long after Kroto defected, a newer warrior in the Clan, Dal'rok, found Kroto and Gur'thok in Durotar. Confirming that Kroto had betrayed the Clan, Dal'rok called for backup, and with the aid of three other Stormrock members, they launched an assault on the two Ridgetusk officers. It was in this fight that Kroto Stonecaller fell... but through demon-magic, Gur'thok sacrificed himself and transferred his life force into Kroto. The traitor, Gur'thok Ripmaw, was now dead, but not before mentioning the true leader of Ridgetusk, known only as "The Visionary One." His body was taken by Stormrock, and it was left to Iriako to decide what to do. Remembering who Gur'thok Ripmaw was before he went mad, Iriako moved the body to Nagrand, where a service was held to honor the Gur'thok who helped build Stormrock, and his body was burned. Iriako finally grieved for the lost of someone he considered his mentor, and after a short prayer, Iriako turned his focus on the remainder of Ridgetusk, aiming to capture Kroto or Rethrok for information on "The Visionary One". His search however, wasn't long. After Gur'thok's death, Ridgetusk seemed to go into a huge state of panic. To this day, Iriako is unsure of whether or not Gur'thok was, in fact, their "visionary" leader. Nonetheless, one threat to the Horde seemed to be eliminated. Starting A New Family A few months after Ridgetusk seemed to fall off the face of Azeroth, Iriako became stricken with an odd illness that affected his eyesight and his overall health. Soon after this started, Alisanoka was declared 2 months pregnant with her first child. Iriako and Alisanoka needed to take a break from leading the Clan to recover and bring their child into the world, so Iriako allowed the Clan's new Head Shaman, T'kela Stormbringer, to lead in his absence. The expecting pair of orcs retreated to Nagrand to have a safe pregnancy and for Iriako to attempt to recover. It was during this absence that Iriako funneled money to some goblin engineers to begin constructing a permanant dwelling for Stormrock, north of Orgrimmar near Azshara. His long absence did not help the Clan much. With the issues in Northrend, and general fear and dissent being spread around the ranks of the Horde thanks to the Apothecaries of Undercity, much of the Clan was captured, went into hiding, or simply went missing in the absence of their Chieftain. Approaching the end of Alisanoka's pregnancy, Iriako had recieved a vision from the spirits in the form of his unborn daughter. They ordered him to visit the Throne of Elements. Iriako obliged. Upon arriving, Iriako and Alisanoka drank a sapta provided by the Earthen Ring, only to find themselves in the presence of many different elementals. They brought them a message, informing them of the state of Stormrock. With the elements pushing the pair to return to their stations and lead again, they couldn't help but accept. Iriako's illness was somehow healed from his body, and Alisanoka recieved the blessing of fire to return to her Warlock art with a strong resolve. The two left the Throne of Elements with bolstered spirits, but before they reached Garadar, Alisanoka went into labor. After a couple hours, they welcomed their daughter, Tali'naka Stormrock, into the world. The Return to Stormrock Iriako and Alisanoka waited a couple weeks before they met with Erier Fireiris, an Officer of Stormrock who had served the Clan for some time. After discussing the state of the Clan, the three agreed to a plan of action to move forward during the War in Northrend. Iriako's return resulted in the Clan beginning to flourish after this. Within a week of his return, construction of Stormrock Hold was finally completed north of Orgrimmar in the mountains bordering Azshara. The main keep inside was named Skycaller Keep, after the Clan's original Head Shaman, Jergo Skycaller. To ensure that the Clan kept presence in Outland, Iriako also had an outpost constructed in Nagrand on a floating isle, which would take some time. At the same time the Nagrand outpost was commissioned, Iriako also began funding the hasty completion of a small outpost for Stormrock in Dragonblight. The outpost was completed in just a month, and saw frequent use in the War in Northrend. This point was quite possibly the strongest Stormrock ever was, and is the pinnacle of glory for the young Chieftain. Twilight's Hammer Skirmishes Right before the fall of the Lich King, the outpost in Nagrand was completed, but Iriako and the rest of the Stormrock Clan had other issues. The archdruid of Stormrock had discovered that someone was manipulating the air spirit that Stormrock enlisted to power their Air Totems--carried by each member for long-distance communication. Upon investigation, the Clan learned that it was the Twilight's Hammer who had been tampering with their tools, sending ruthless fire elementals to attack, and in some cases, corrupt unaware Stormrock members via their totems. Luckily for the Clan, the full force of the Twilight's Hammer was not behind the attack (the bulk of the force were preparing to unleash Deathwing upon Azeroth). The Clan managed to halt the corruption and attacks, but the discovery of an old journal in the hands of a slain Twilight Elementalist sent Iriako and Alisanoka on a path to fate. The Twilight Journal Iriako took much time to decode the entries, recipes, and other countless pieces of information in the journal, but the information he found out about the individual who sent the Twilight's Hammer on their mission against them concerned him greatly. The journal contained a note, written in a fel-variant of orcish, ordering the Twilight's Hammer to disrupt Stormrock's operations and to capture the Chieftain's family alive. Desiring to pinpoint the source of the journal's owner, Iriako traveled to the Caverns of Time and consorted with a bronze dragon named Zephlia to pinpoint the origin of the journal. Without the consent of the bronze flight, Zephlia managed to pinpoint the journal's owner as one of the orcs who fled with Gul'dan to the Tomb of Sargeras. Zephlia took Iriako back to that time, where Iriako witnessed the flight of the Twilight's Hammer and Stormreaver Clans firsthand. Zephlia took on an orcish disguise, and along with Iriako, blended in with the fleeing group, attempting to find the owner of the journal. They eventually did, when Iriako witnessed a shady pair of orcs, a male and female, perusing through an identical-looking book. The book wasn't the part that concerned Iriako, however. What caught his eye first was how much the female orc looked like his wife, Alisanoka. What was more, is that the pair were burdened with an infant orc girl. Keeping close to the pair for the remainder of the journey, Zephlia and Iriako eventually confirmed that the journal carried by the shady pair of orcs was indeed the same that Stormrock recovered from the Twilight's Hammer in their own time. Since Zephlia knew well what fate awaited the two fleeing Clans and Gul'dan at the Tomb of Sargeras, she beseeched for Iriako to return to their proper time. Iriako, however, wanted to learn more. After a failed attempt to engage his suspected in-laws in conversation, and witnessing the two Clans leave their young behind at the shore, Iriako stuck by them over the sea to the raised Tomb of Sargeras. It was there that Iriako witnessed the demonic onslaught that brought Gul'dan and his followers their fate. Moments before Zephlia caught up to Iriako and returned them to their own time, Iriako witnessed the female of the orc pair be torn to shreds by one of the demons from the tomb. After returning to their proper time, Zephlia escorted Iriako hastily back to Stormrock Hold. It was there that he learned that Tali'naka and Alisanoka were missing, apparently kidnapped from their home in Garadar. The Hunt for his Family Iriako immediately mobilized Stormrock to search Outland. After a couple weeks, scouts returned to inform Iriako that his family was being held in a fel orc camp in Hellfire Peninsula. Iriako did not hesitate to organize a strike force. They quickly tore the fel orcs apart and liberated Alisanoka. In the main hold of the camp, Iriako and Alisanoka came upon the fel orc leader of the camp, holding their daughter. The fel orc soon learned not to stand between a mother and her child, as Alisanoka effortlessly overpowered the tainted orc and reclaimed Tali'naka. Before the orc was slain, his name forgotten to history, they managed to pull some information out of him about a demon in the peninsula who had ordered them to pull off the kidnapping. One week later, Stormrock located the demon. Before engaging this pit lord in combat, Iriako demanded his motive. He spoke of his plan, confident that it would not fail, and divulged to the Clan that Alisanoka's father had always sought a way to return his wife (who died at the Tomb of Sargeras) to life. The demon had lied to the troubled fel orc, and told him that he would need to find the daughter they lost for her blood, as this would be a necessary catalyst for the restoration to life. The true reason behind this was that the demon had heard from other pit lords that Alisanoka of the Stormrock Clan had grown powerful in her art as a warlock without any hint of corruption. To this demon and others, Alisanoka represented a stain on the face of the Burning Legion, and he wanted to convert the powerful warlock to his service. With the strongest of Stormrock behind her, Alisanoka turned down the offer of power from the pit lord, and the group brought the demon to his end. With the pit lord slain, Iriako and Alisanoka knew that they were not safe until Alisanoka's father was brought down. The Clan wanted to use Alisanoka and Tali'naka as bait to lure him out of hiding, but Iriako could not come to this decision. With the war against the Lich King coming to a climax, Stormrock could no longer spare any in the hunt. Iriako knew this, and with a strong feeling that this was something that him and his wife must do on their own, he and Alisanoka took their daughter along for the hunt, traversing Outland without any effort at being inconspicious, nor with any assistance from the Clan. The Death of Alisanoka Right after the Lich King fell, news of the victory reached Iriako and Alisanoka in Zangamarsh. Feeling that their hunt was going nowhere, the pair made for Nagrand so they could recouperate in their home, afterwhich they planned on calling the Clan to Nagrand for a meeting. Unfortunately for them, that time would never come. In northern Nagrand, the pair were found by Alisanoka's father. The fel orc, named Bo'rako, stood cloaked in the road, revealing himself once they were close enough to taunt. Iriako sent his daughter away from the road, secured on his worg, afterwhich him and his wife armed themselves. After a few words of madness were exchanged, including Bo'rako's admittance of being Alisanoka's father, Iriako tried to strike Bo'roko down, but failed. Iriako took a deep blow to the torso, rendering him winded and eventually unconscious. Alisanoka, in a deep rage, consumed herself in all her power and launched an all-out assault against her father. The battle was fierce, charring the grass around them, igniting trees, and killing stray wildlife. Iriako's worg, carrying their daughter in a sling from her jaws, fled to Garadar. Eventually, Alisanoka destroyed her father, rendering him broken. With no words of regret, the fel orc passed on, but Alisanoka fell weakened. Unable to carry Iriako, she placed her only healthstone on the chest of her fallen husband and tried to make her own way towards Garadar to get Tali'naka and to contact the Clan. However, she didn't make it more than 15 steps before the lack of restraint in using her powers finally came to a head. Unable to stop the flow of fel energies flowing from within her, Alisanoka's body ignited in flames. When they stopped abruptly, her skin was rendered black from burns. In the very next second, her soul was violently ripped from her body and floated aimlessly into the nether above. Her body fell to the ground, lifeless. Iriako was still breathing, and about two hours later, the healthstone did all that it could, and he awoke in great pain. He pulled himself up, using his polearm as a crutch, and looked around. He first saw the broken body of Ali's father, to which he was relieved, but upon seeing his wife's burnt body, he scrambled over to her and fell beside her. He observed his wife, and the moment he realized she was dead, he let out a cry of anguish so loud that one could've sworn it had been heard by all of Outland. You Can't Change The Past Iriako tended to his wounds, and burned the corpse of his wife on a pyre not far from the road. He then placed a rough gravemarker at the spot off the road where he found her dead. After what seemed like a lifetime of grieving, Iriako said goodbye to his wife one last time, and made for Garadar on foot. When he arrived, he found that his worg had brought his daughter to Garadar safetly. The matron who took care of her was asking many questions, but recieved no answers. Iriako simply asked her to watch over Tali'naka while he went to "find his wife" as he phrased it to her. The matron obliged, and Iriako left his animal companions stabled in Nagrand and returned to Azeroth. He did not go to Stormrock Hold, but rather, he went to Tanaris: the Caverns of Time. He met up with Zephlia, the bronze dragon who had helped him with the Twilight Journal. Upon telling her the ill news, Zephlia of course agreed to assist. He took Iriako back in time, outside the Dark Portal. Iriako had planned on entering the portal and intercepting Alisanoka's father before he and Ali crossed his path. However, upon stepping through the portal, Iriako and Zephlia found themselves floating in a void, surrounded by dozens of Bronze Dragons. The Bronze Dragons had accused Iriako of tampering with time, and accused Zephlia as his accomplice. Since Zephlia was one of the flight, she was slain immediately in front of Iriako. Iriako, in his desperate helplessness, proceeded to insult the Bronze flight for their lack of understanding. One of the Bronze Flight, and apparently the authority of the situation, did not take his blasphemous insult well. He decided that, instead of death, he would see to it that Iriako would live out the rest of his days in the Eastern Kingdoms during the first war, repeating the timeline while dealing with his frustration and grief until he died of old age. They severed the connection of his Air Totem and dropped him into the Black Morass. He survived in Azeroth by living off the land, steering clear of organized tribes, clans, and war marches to keep alive. He did this for 50 years, reliving the first war nearly ten times. Each time he slept on the final day of the war, regardless of where it was, he would always wake up in the same spot in the Black Morass on the day the Orc's breached Azeroth through the portal. Iriako's Release and Den'rik Fangstalker Eventually, a member of the Bronze Flight ordered Iriako to be released, claiming that the Bronze Dragon who kept him there had better things to focus on than the troubles of a mortal since the Cataclysm had occured. They threw a venerable Iriako into the deserts of Tanaris to fend for himself. At this point, the hot sun of Tanaris was too much on an old Iriako. He wandered with no care for direction, and eventually took shelter in the shade of some old ruins. With his air totem not working, Iriako simply waited for death. It didn't come before a very young orc windrider named Den'rik Fangstalker found him. When Iriako saw him, he felt saved, and begged Den'rik to escort him to Nagrand. After offering Den'rik almost every gold coin he had, Iriako secured an escort. Den'rik was a loner, but couldn't pass up the opportunity to make such a large amount of easy funds. The journey to Nagrand was a long one, and along the way, Iriako divulged countless stories about himself, Stormrock, and his wife. He told Den'rik everything, even about the long imprisonment in the First War. Den'rik found it hard to believe at first, but the more he heard, the more he became a believer. Iriako's natural ability to lead and inspire did not diminish in his old age. Den'rik was awestruck by what he heard, but mostly he pitied Iriako for the lifetime he had lost. Iriako did not think to ask about the causes of the Cataclysm, as he knew his life was over anyway. When the pair reached Nagrand, they stopped in Garadar so that Iriako could see his daughter, but he had another intentions. Iriako's animal companions had survived, and remained in the care of the Mag'har. They had seen use in hunts, but when Iriako returned, the stable master returned the animals to him--for a price, as the stablemaster did not recognize him. It was then that Iriako offered them to Den'rik, who had beasts of his own. Den'rik agreed. Iriako then bought a stuffed Talbuk, sewn by a Mag'har tailor, as a gift to his daughter. When they arrived at the orphanage, the matron who looked after her was in shock when she saw Iriako's rapid aging, but gave him the opportunity to see her without question. Tali'naka, however, was young, and could not remember her father. Iriako gave her the stuffed Talbuk, and left the room silent. He spoke to the matron about what must be done, and afterwards slowly made his way to the western gate of Garadar. Den'rik followed, and for the first time, saw Iriako weep at his loss. The Pity of the Elements Den'rik followed Iriako all the way to Alisanoka's grave, which sat undisturbed. It was here that Iriako turned to Den'rik, and offered his old Air Totem and Stormrock tabard, asking him to return to Orgimmar to find Erier Fireiris and to join Stormrock to ensure it would survive. Iriako also asked Den'rik to see to it that Tali'naka be returned to Stormrock, and be placed in Erier's charge. Den'rik thought for only a moment, but immediately took the totem and tabard. With a stern salute, Den'rik agreed before saying goodbye to Iriako and taking his leave. Iriako sat by the gravemarker and simply waited for his death. After nearly four days of sitting there, a starving and thirsty Iriako finally began to slip into death. He closed his eyes and passed out. Death had only began to reach for the old orc when Iriako was shaken. His eyes shot open, and he found himself in the sky above Nagrand, floating above the ground. He looked around, curious as the what was happening, and saw his body down below, laying beside Alisanoka's grave. He figured it must be death taking him, and as he began to ascend towards the nether, he anxiously awaited seeing his wife. A flash of white engulfed him as he shut his eyes. When he opened them, he saw not his wife, but stood before a swarm of Air Elementals. One of them approached him and spoke bluntly, "A lifetime of experience stolen, a lifetime of experience earned, Stormrock. This is not your time." Iriako's eyes widened before the elemental continued, "You have much that you still need to accomplish..." The Elemental informed him of the actions of the Twilight's Hammer clan had taken, and how they released Deathwing upon the world. Iriako, becoming more angry as the tale went on, eventually asked the Elemental what he must do. He showed concern, all for Stormrock and for his daughter. The Elemental told him the he needed to begin his training as a spirit, first. If he did well, they would call the Stormrock Clan to aid in returning his spirit to his body. Iriako agreed to the terms. The Air Elemental then consumed Iriako's old corpse, removing it from the world of the living. Iriako began training immediately in the Skywall (the elemental realm of air), recieving input and insight from the elements themselves. At one point, Iriako asked about his wife, but was told she was beyond help. He never asked that she be returned, however. He knew she had died honorably, and that was finally enough for him. Little did he know, that was not the case, but this is something he would not learn for some time. Merging Body and Spirit During his training, Iriako was usually too preoccupied to even attempt to contact his Clan. However, after some time, he completed his training and the air elemental, Freyla, tasked him with finding a way to contact his Clan for them to help him return his spirit to his body. Iriako managed to find these ways (some more subtle than others) to send notice to his daughter and other Clan members that he was very much ready to return. The task of retrieving his body of the proper age, however, was a more challenging task. Only the Bronze Dragonflight could do so, and convincing them would be no easy task. Eventually, Den'rik and Erier put the pieces together. Den'rik, very anxious to serve a purpose, organized a gathering of the Clan where he spoke to them about Iriako. After realizing that Erier was not present and that the Clan's current Chieftain, Rodakar Earthfury, was not fit to lead a full charge into the Skywall, Den'rik took a small group of Stormrock members into southern Uldum and crossed into the Skywall. The entire search team was comprised of Den'rik and three jungle trolls: Safija, Rimbaratae, and Rajini. After nearly a month in the Skywall, Iriako's spirit was finally discovered by the four searching Clan members. Iriako explained what had to happen with the Bronze Flight, and sent Den'rik and Ra'jini back to Azeroth to complete the task while Safija and Rimbaratae remained with Iriako. When Den'rik and Ra'jini returned, they indeed carried Iriako's younger but lifeless body with them. Ra'jini claimed that Den'rik alone convinced them to hand it over, but he did not know how. Den'rik claims it was clever word-usage, but this was not true. Iriako could not confirm this as false, however, and instead anxiously allowed the air elemental Freyla to merge his body and spirit, returning him to life in his proper body. The five Stormrock members then left the Skywall with a purpose: To retrieve Iriako's daughter from her adoptive guardians, find Erier Fireiris, and rebolster the ranks of the Stormrock Clan. With it, he hoped to continue the Clan's mission to sustain the faiths of the true Kalimdor Horde. Rebuilding Stormrock's Purpose Iriako tried for months to find Erier Fireiris, but to no success. He did, however, find many of the Clan's missing members through close work within the Horde rank structure. As the Clan regrew, he eventually severed his Clan's connection to the formal Horde rank structure, and committed money and resources into building a new Hold for the Clan out in Stonetalon. During the construction, and regardless of the severence, the Clan did all they could to support the Horde, be an example, and defend Kalimdor. The regrowth was going well, and the Clan survived a few bumps along the way. However, it took a turn for the worst with one major Alliance assault on his Clan. The Seige on Stormrock Hold While Iriako was away with other Clan members on a training exercise, the Hold's construction site came under heavy attack by Alliance forces seeking to halt the addition of any Horde settlements in Stonetalon. In the conflict, over 80% of the Clan's members were slain, including Tali'naka Stormrock, Iriako's daughter. Freyla, the elemental that controlled the Clan's Air Totems even came to their defense, but she, too, was slain. When Iriako heard news of this, he was filled with both grief and with rage--this was amplified to disturbing levels when he found his daughter's corpse. He also found the bodies of Den'rik Fangstalker and Ra'jini the Darkspear, the two Stormrock Members responsible for retrieving Iriako's body from the Bronze Flight many months earlier. In his grief, he decided that it would be best if he followed Thrall's example, and dissolved his Clan as Thrall did the ones of old. He believed that it was finally time to fully embrace the Horde, and work to support it from within. He gave the order for all members of the Clan to go to whichever group within the Horde they felt they could support the most, and to bring the ideals that he tried to instill with them. Iriako took his daughter's body to Nagrand and burned her near the gravesite of his wife. He made yet another gravestone for a fallen family member, and proceeded to spend three days fighting off his dispair, camping near the site. After this period, he returned to Orgrimmar, hoping to find honor once more. =Present Time= Iriako has enlisted himself into The Kor'kron Legion--Orgrimmar's Elite--and seeks to continue his Clan's mission from within the Horde's rank structure. Feeling unfit to lead and no longer having any family to look after, he works as simple enlisted soldier, but offers spiritual guidance to any and all who need it. He is attempting to establish some inner stability as he copes with his failures. He is also currently trying to grasp his rapid growth as a Far Seer, attempting to control and perfect his newfound powers of foresight--a difficult task in a time of massive doubt in which he fights to resist succumbing to a natural desire for vengeance. Category:User:Omegawpn213 Category:Horde Category:Orc Category:Horde Hunter Category:Horde Shaman Category:Leatherworker Category:Miner Category:Skinner